Tenor remains one of the most impressive to have emerged in the last 30 years.
Blessed with awe-inspiring instrumental technique, no doubt honed through countless hours in the practice room, he emerged as a young prodigy in the early 1990s.
After cutting his teeth in bands led by various elder statesmen and women, he established himself as one of ’s major soloists and sidemen, as well as a and .
With albums on many of ’s most important record labels, featuring all-star colleagues, and a stylistic palette ranging from swinging standards to futuristic fusion, this article will take a look at 10 of the finest albums from
And don’t forget, you can find tips on other legendary modern sax players here.
Presenting
was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1971, before his family moved to Columbia, South Carolina.
It was here that he began learning several musical instruments, before settling upon the after hearing a recording of the altoist Paul Desmond.
He quickly developed a reputation as something of a prodigy, and YouTube videos of live performances from his teenage years document a young man in possession of remarkable instrumental facility and musical maturity.
After moving to New York to study at The New School and Manhattan School of , he started with the trumpeter and , a veteran who had earned his own stripes with Charlie Parker back in the early 1950s.
made his recording as a leader whilst still in his early twenties. A fairly straight-ahead set, it was released on Criss Cross, a Dutch label with a cult following that seeks to document the best of the New York scene.
Joining Chris on the front line is trumpeter John Swanna, while his young colleagues in the rhythm section – Kevin Hays (), Lewis Nash () and Christian McBride (bass) – would all go on to have stellar careers of their own.
Concord Duo Series Volume Ten
This 1996 recording offers a rare chance to hear in an intimate duo setting. His partner here is pianist and Effortless Mastery author Kenny Werner.
Recorded live at Maybeck Recital Hall, the programme features original compositions by both players, plus some well-chosen standards. Tom Harrell’s lovely “Sail Away”, featuring on soprano , is a particular highlight.
The set closes with an audacious, highly contrapuntal take on John Coltrane’s famously challenging “Giant Steps”.
Vertigo
The title of this 1998 refers to one of the symptoms that suffered when he went through an unpleasant and scary bout of Ménière’s disease, a condition of the inner ear that caused severe dizziness and loss of hearing in one ear.
This programme of original helped confirm the player’s move towards a more contemporary, introspective sound world, in comparison to his hard bop-adjacent roots.
Rising star guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel shines in a role, while star tenor Joe Lovano plays as a guest on three tracks, setting up some fiery tenor battles.
“Modeen’s Mood” is a dedication to the drummer Paul Motian, who both and Lovano have played with as sidemen.
Vertigo was named one of the top CDs of the year by both Jazziz Magazine and the New York Times.
This Will Be
In 2000 (still only in his late twenties) was selected as the winner of the Jazzpar prize, one of the most prestigious awards in Danish .
This was not an insignificant endorsement of his talent, with the list of previous winners including the likes of Lee Konitz, Roy Haynes, Tommy Flanagan and Geri Allen.
As part of the festivities surrounding his receipt of the award, Chris’ band played a set, which was recorded live for release on the Danish Storyville label.
The centrepiece of the is a six-part suite written especially for the occasion.
Meanwhile, the title track, after opening with an impressive solo sax cadenza, turns out to be an original melody written over the chord sequence to the standard “My Shining Hour”.
Gratitude
Tribute or themed albums are relatively common in , but they will usually focus upon the of a single or .
took a different approach on this 2001 , by opting to pay homage to a whole range of his heroes from across the history of .
With most of the material composed by himself, each piece is dedicated to a who has influenced him, which provides a fascinating insight into the makeup of the tenor player’s own sound world.
There are tributes to:
- Joe Henderson (Shadow)
- John Coltrane (The Source)
- Ornette Coleman (Vox Humana)
- Coleman Hawkins (Body & Soul)
- Michael Brecker & Joe Lovano (The Mind’s Eye)
- Wayne Shorter (Eurydice)
- Sonny Rollins (Sun King)
- Eddie Harris (High Noon)
- Lester Young (The Visitor)
- Charlie Parker (a rhythmically complex spin on Bird’s own arrangement of the standard Star Eyes)
The closes with an unaccompanied rendition of the ballad “What’s New”, with looking towards the future of in a dedication to “the current generation” of musicians.
Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard
is at the top of his game on this 2004 live from legendary New York club The Village Vanguard.
By recording at the Vanguard he joined an illustrious list: Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, John Coltrane and many other legends of the have recorded seminal live dates at the Greenwich Village venue.
The climax is an impressive 13/4 arrangement of Charles Mingus’ “Boogie Stop Shuffle”, replete with an epic solo sax intro.
The no-nonsense acoustic lineup is completed by Kevin Hays on , Scott Colley on double bass and Bill Stewart on .
“Lift is a sharp, tough, and streetwise record of a fine gig played in a temple with aplomb and sass. It points in new directions and offers a solid portrait of the artist as not only a strident voice, but as a visionary as well”. – Thom Jurek, All
Underground
Now working with boutique New York label Sunnyside, opted to head in a groovier direction on 2006’s Underground.
The more amplified sound heard here is provided by Craig Taborn on Fender Rhodes, Wayne Krantz and Adam Rogers on guitars and Nate Smith on .
This ensemble and its gritty brand of 21st Century fusion would become a significant part of the leader’s musical life over the next decade or so.
He toured as ’s Underground extensively, and the lineup (now with Adam Rogers solely established in the chair) would return for the albums Follow The Red Line (2007) and Ultrahang (2009).
The original Underground closes with a dream-like cover of Lennon and McCartney’s “Yesterday”.
Transatlantic
This 2011 release features the as guest soloist with the DR Big Band, the Danish Radio orchestra based in Copenhagen.
Not content with ensemble parts and soloing extensively, also composed and arranged all the here, showing himself to be an extremely skilled large ensemble writer and orchestrator.
This dense set of driving modern big band features some highly compelling from both himself, and from the excellent supporting cast of Northern Europeans, with trumpeter Mads la Cour a particularly strong solo on “New Year’s Day”.
Imaginary Cities
2013 saw the release of Sirens, ’s first as a leader for ECM, Manfred Eicher’s legendary Munich-based record label.
Two years later he released , his second for the label. This ambitious project features his fusion-centric Underground band augmented by a string .
The expansive set of original met with rave reviews from critics, with All About ’s John Kelman describing it as “the first real masterpiece of 2015”.
Circuits
In 2019 signed to Edition Records.
Up until fairly recently, Edition had largely worked with European artists, so the American’s arrival was certainly something of a coup for the UK-based independent label.
Circuits saw him return to an amplified band sound that was reminiscent of his Underground group, with young Houston native James Francies on keyboards, Linley Marthe on electric bass, and virtuoso completing a powerful rhythm section.
continues to record, tour and undertake educational work.
His journey to becoming one of the most influential and popular saxophonists in modern has seen him play as a on more than 150 albums, including records by the likes of Joanne Brackeen, Steely Dan, fellow Wayne Shorter, , drummer Paul Motian, James Moody and Steve Swallow, in addition to his 22 as a bandleader.
He has also won various major prizes, including a , Denmark’s Jazzpar Prize, as well as finishing top of various Down Beat polls.
“ has always been a vehicle for me to investigate the things that are important about life. It’s been a way of figuring out what it is I need to say. Plus, I keep learning new things about it.”
https://youtu.be/BN2HmSSs8E4

International jazz booking agent, manager and host of Jazzfuel.
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Matt,
A wonderful survey of some of Chris Potter’s best releases.
You might consider adding THIS PLACE which, while it purports to be a Scott Colley album, dinds CP in the role of principal soloist.
PEACOCKS, not a favorite jazz tune for me, is remarkable, venturesome, sad, enduring and powerful; it’s captivating, finally, as is most of the rest of the release.
I discovered this after hearing and dismissing it 20 years ago. How did I manage to neglect this one?
You’ve got great ears, Matt!
Best always,
Richard Ferrie
Thanks for the input Richard! Sounds like you’ve got some deep knowledge of Chris Potter! Will check out those recommendations and see if we can do an expanded version soon!
All the best
Matt